The present invention relates to the field of systems for transmitting a starting torque to an internal combustion engine, particularly one belonging to a motor vehicle.
Transmission systems such as this are known per se and generally comprise an electric starter motor engaging a toothed ring gear which, in turn, drives the internal combustion engine crankshaft via a free wheel or one way clutch. The free wheel allows a torque to be transmitted temporarily between the electric starter motor and the internal combustion engine as long as the engine has not started, and allows these two to be uncoupled once the combustion engine has started.
For fuller detail on transmission systems such as this, reference may, for example, be made to document EP-A2 1 748 181 or WO-A1-2007/012946.
The transmission systems described in these documents have the particular disadvantage of comprising a high number of components that have to be fitted by the engine manufacturer between the ring gear and the crankshaft. Furthermore, these systems are relatively bulky, particularly in the radial direction.